Writings, observations and ideas either caused by or meant to induce a minor disruption.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Year Four: Reflections

The April fool’s Joke that is no joke which makes it the
biggest joke of all. It’s the anniversary of Dislocations. Every year I pause to reflect (a momentarily dislocating of Dislocations). Basically I just highlight
some of my favorite blogs.

But first I digress.

Here’s my philosophy for (maybe of too) life.

(Or my three rules).

1) Life is hard. We must attempt to make it more
pleasant for everyone we encounter or at least make sure we do not make it more
unpleasant for them.

2) We must maximize the talents God has given us.

3)
We must continually gain as much knowledge as
possible.

I fall short of following these rules, and it is thin
consolation realizing most of us do. That’s why Life is hard leads. However, we must strive to live up to this
code. Well, it’s my code, so it’s my strive.

Four years… why did High School feel like eternal purgatory
and now that my irrevocable sunset glares into my eyes, the quartets flash by
like greased lightening on crank?

I started this blog on April 1st, 2009 and for
those who still watch television shows, this is my annual clips episode.

There’s only rule for me when it comes to Dislocations.
Stuff I feel like writing about. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

I have no time to properly copy edit. I apologize for the
typos. Also, it seems there are a few less blog items every year. I hope less
is more.

Here are some blogs worth remembering and returning to.

Last April, life was not so good. Perplexing and dire was
how I felt and I actually put Dislocations on an unofficial hiatus. Then life
got a little worse. Dislocations actually became dislocated. Then I saw somedebris, snapped a picture and had an idea about it and realized, no, dear
reader, you deserve Dislocations. Okay, I don’t really give a crap about what
readers, dear or otherwise, deserve. Dislocations just won’t die. I got back into the swing. This post is nothing
special, probably below average, but it sums up for me some of the things I was
going through getting through last spring.

My favorite blog was a list: 10 Things About What Summer’sAbout. I actually started this spring of 2011 but it required a year to
gestate. After I posted it, a friend sent me a list of things I like about autumn.
But this wasn’t just about seasonal signifiers. I was exploring summer as
Metaphor. Plus it gave me a chance to see connections between the disparate,
which is how we see life, which ultimately is our existence.

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy… our Katrina… electricity out for days,
flooding…. we’re still negotiating out of some of the damage… a few posts
featured Sandy related content, but this was the first after the deluge and the
return of power, some dramatic day after pictures… never forget, until this
year’s extreme weather event.

My favorite hobby, poking around the New Jersey Historic
Room and Microfiche archive. In spite of being a major city in a populous
state, few presidential candidates stop here, or if they do it’s Liberty State
Park which provides a great photo-op and keeps them away from interacting with
the riff-raff (which would be you and me). It wasn’t always that way. McGovernmade a Journal Square visit and FDR laid the corner stone for what became
Liberty Medical. The newspaper clips are fun to read, but deeper scrutiny
reveals wider social and political implications that reverberate in our current
era, and I hope you find my analysis compelling.

McGovern died last year, which sparked a memoir piece about
a grammar school flirtation electoral politics and an obsession with THAT GIRL.

I made a stab at a Charlie Louvin obit, which evolved into
effusive praise. I had another attempt at an appreciation that panned out not. I love the Louvin Brothers. I got into jags
where it is nothing but Louvin for days. Charlie made a deathbed confessionturned into a memoir that I quite enjoyed, published a year or so after his
passing onto the far shore. Pick up Satan is Real, it will change how you
perceive country music, gospel music, Christian Theology and America. Tragic
Songs of Life is the best non-Dylan collection of songs ever released (if you
don’t agree you don’t know what you’re talking about).

So, sometime during the weeks before Christmas I wandered into the NewportMall with the express purpose of taking pictures of the decorations. Newport is
a terrible mall, but malls are terrible places anyway and so in comparison it
is no worse than some and better than more than a few.Christmas is commercial, yet even within that
commerciality, there are aspirations towards generosity, being considerate and expression
of love and friendship. Next year the decorations will be different but the
feelings will be the same. Bland, obvious, ordinary… everybody who lives around
here, these pictures are part of your 2012 Christmas memories, but in the
background, noticed then forgotten.

For some reason I find Summer more conducive to Shakespeare than
the rest of the year. Van Vorst was the setting for a memorable staging ofOthello, an especially fine interpretation of Desdemona highlighted.

About every other year, one sees a rainbow in Jersey City.
The weather conditions have to be right – to quote Credence – “have you ever
seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day?” – and the sun in the right place.
Being an isthmus, Jersey City is prone to rainbows. This was the first time I
happened to have a camera on me when the conditions beamed color across the
sky.

My favorite reads. The second one so I guess it’s an annual
Dislocations event.I like lists,
especially lists of books. Speaking of books, a bright note sounded on Newark
Avenue in July with an actual opening of a new (although the inventory also
includes used) Bookstore, Tachair Book Shoppe. Sadly though, the ole B. Daltonson 6th Avenue – the closest bookstore to any PATH station – went
dark.

Rhyze is a gospel band that blends golden age gospel,
contemporary Christian music and old-school funk, and their show, a reunion of
sorts – apparently an earlier incarnation of the band was played secular soul –
at Groove on Grove was notable. The music was not just fantastic, but as a
regular attendee at JC’s Summer Music Series, this band attracted more
non-friends than any other I’ve seen. It’s a tough gig for a musician, there’s
a constant flow of pedestrians and commuters and most of the crowd know the
band personally. This band actually paused the flow, their sound caught lots of
ears, surprising and enticing. People not intending to listen to a set were simply unable to resist Rhyze! Might happen at many a GOG set, but this band attracted a genuine crowd.

The Jersey City Film Forum was briefly revived before going
on hiatus again due to lack of attendance. You people do not know what you’re
missing. Wither though goest cineaste culture. I wrote this introduction to 7 Men From Now, one of my favorite films and a superb western. A few weeks later,Ciao Manhattan was screened, which I found revelatory. Film Forum's 2nd incarnation only attracted a small but loyal following, but some remarkable nights of cinema took place.

All About Downtown Jersey City held its second edition. In
spite of all the corporate friendliness and blatant real estate promotions,
this was a fun event, some great bands, well layed out, concluding with a drum
circle that roved East on Newark Avenue then settled in to beat some serious grooves
around Grove PATH. A fine way to end the summer and also a nice tribute to
improvement of an idea. The 1st was forgettable, the 2nd memorable.

Rediscovered statues of Mary was a reoccurring theme in the
most recent Dislocations year. The first was in June, a tale of irony andnostalgia, about how a series of coincidences led to a discovery of an Italian
icon that had been part of a Jersey City church for a century and warmly
remembered. This blog post was actually translated into Italian and published
in an Italian Magazine. Thanks Pat.

Then in July, the Jersey City Art School, during a cleaning
project of an adjacent backyard, reclaimed a shrine to St. Anne, mother of the
Blessed Mother.

A state of Our Lady of Fatima was restored by an anonymous
art restorer right before Christmas, then a few weeks into the New Year, a
statue of our Lady of Medigorje was anonymously returned to St. Mary’s.

These Mary Statue stories were fun to find out about, and I
love the weirdness that four of them happened in one year’s time. I found out
about each accidently. They’re little stories, very Jersey City centric, but
they connect us to the history of our city and Dislocations is the only place
you can read about these true if esoteric tales.

On the secular art front, “covered” a closing – one of the
last art events held at Made With Love before it ceased to be – by local illustrator and sometime street
artist, Norm Kirby. Very talented guy who is using new materials – like wire
and wood – in addition to sketches and ink, but it’s all about the line for Kirby who has
an extraordinary talent for infusing emotion, warmth and humanity in his lines.
He has a unique talent to express much with so little. Who knew squiggles could
be so profound?

Lunar New Year painted a fantastic mural.Really interesting and talented cat, really
into anonymity, did not want his picture taken. The mural is not just large,
takes up three stories I reckon, but totally subjective. The faces are friends
of his. Meaning eludes the viewer, but the obfuscation actually makes it more
compelling.

For the annual JC Studio Art Tour, an old warehouse (are
there any new ones?) was converted and packed with some awesome art. Shuttle
buses – old school buses painted white, manufactured before the invention of
the shock absorber – took patrons to and fro. For a night, the various art
scenes in town came together and mingled, a gathering of the clans and everyone
ignored how cliquey the JC artists community is. I also met the very vibrant and
inspiring Laurie Kammers there.

40 Owls is Jersey City based, and their first art show –
Three Distinctive Ethnic Magical Tales (a real mouthful of a title) – was held
this summer. I actually wrote the press release, a paid gig, and the story was
picked up by more than a few places. The cool thing though, the show was held
in Chelsea. Glitterati actually attended, upscale and artsy and just very
Manhattan. Impressive indeed.

A fashion/art show accompanied the opening of the new
location of the Fish With Braids Gallery. Really, one of the more unique nights
of art and overall creativity to be had in J.C. last year.

That’s about it for my annual indulgence in reflection. Thanks for
reading, encouragement, understanding and useful feedback. God Bless You All. Let
us all keep on keeping on. I’ll see ya on down the line, bye and bye.